40

Amber jumped when Blake placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded.

“Nothing. Everything’s alright,” he said, “but it’s time for us to move out. Your friend Merlin is waiting outside with the young savage.”

Even half asleep, Amber couldn’t miss the lack of warm and fuzzy on the words “your friend, Merlin.” She sat up on her elbows and looked at Blake.

“He’s a good guy,” she said quietly. “I think.”

“That he might be, but he’s also stark raving mad.” Blake shook his head. “All of that nonsense he was spouting last night. Don’t tell me you actually believed him.”

Amber raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a better explanation?” she asked. “You didn’t want to believe me when I told you that time had changed. You believe me now, don’t you?”

Blake didn’t reply.

“Then why can’t you believe Merlin?” Amber heaved a frustrated sigh. “Blake, you need to get with the program, or you’re going to be the one losing his mind. There are brontosauruses in the Thames, dire wolves in Romford, pterosaurs in Colchester, and who knows what else out there. You saw what came out of the lake last night. You know I’m right. You wouldn’t have come after me if you didn’t.”

“No… you’re quite right.” Blake ran a hand through his hair. “It’s just… it’s madness, what that man said. Utter madness.”

“It’s also the only vaguely plausible explanation anyone’s offered so far, the only one that makes any sense.”

Blake was silent for a moment before finally nodding. Amber wasn’t totally satisfied, but it would have to do for now.

Outside the cave the indigo sky was just starting to soften to blue. Blake and Amber quickly woke up Nellie and Harcourt, and they gathered their things. In a matter of minutes, they were all on their feet and making their groggy way out of the cave to join Merlin and Cam.

The rovers dutifully identified their path with discreet flashlight beams, and Merlin led the way. They hiked south, giving the primordial lake a wide berth, and eventually emerged from the forest just as the sun was edging above the horizon. Stray skeins of geese streamed across the morning sky. The wide countryside beyond was heartbreakingly beautiful and inviting, like something out of a painting.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Nellie said in a low whisper.

Amber nodded in agreement, although now she was morbidly aware of how little cover it offered them, and how completely visible they would be to anyone or anything that might be stalking them. She looked back.

Blake brought up the rear, constantly sweeping the horizon for any potential threats. Cam stayed close to Amber and Nellie. Merlin strode ahead at a healthy pace, eager to reach their destination. Harcourt seemed oblivious to any danger as he stamped along unhappily, clutching his coat with one hand and holding onto his hat with the other to keep the wind from plucking it off his head.

Fortunately for all of them, so far nothing fiercer than field mice and wild rabbits seemed to be lurking in their vicinity. They hiked onward, time passing swiftly. For the most part, no one spoke. Everyone seemed lost in his or her own thoughts, or maybe just shell-shocked.

“How far do we still have to go?” Nellie whispered after a while, but Amber could only shrug.

“Let me talk to Merlin.” She increased her pace and sidled up to him.

“So why did you park your car so far away?” she asked. He smiled, getting the joke.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he replied. “There wasn’t a lot of choice, really. I rushed to Britain looking for some of my colleagues at the Greenwich Royal Observatory—only to discover that I couldn’t locate my friends, the observatory, or London. There was scarcely any trace of civilization anywhere. So I decided to head back to my lab, but it would be a long trip and I knew I wasn’t going to make it very far. The generators needed to recharge, so I needed to find a place to stow the ship somewhere safe and out of sight.”

“That makes sense.” Amber considered his words. “But why did you leave the ship at all, if you got a good look at how messed up everything was outside?”

“Ha!” He snorted. “I’ve been asking myself the same question a thousand times since. I was a fool to go out on a reconnaissance, let alone go out without any sort of weapon. In my defense, though…” He paused, heaving a sigh. “Well… it’s been quite a while since I had the opportunity to go for a walk freely in the open countryside. Unfortunately, I didn’t get very far before a patrol of Cromwellians came upon me.

“Their hostility was quite a shock,” he continued. “I didn’t expect to run into any other people, but just in case, I wore a simple black robe. That way, I could pass myself as a druid to the pagans, and a monk to the Christians.” He shook his head, smiling at his own naivete. “So much for that plan. I underestimated just how seriously the Christians took their theological divisions—and how viciously.”

Amber nodded. The thought of Stearne was still fresh enough to bring up a sharp twinge of anxiety. How much further to safety?

“And then, of course, there was this hard-to-explain matter,” he said, pointing to his starry eyes with a wry smile. She gave him a nervous little sidelong glance, then turned her head away again, embarrassed.

“You know, I hope you don’t think this is rude, but I keep meaning to ask you about your eyes—only I never think of it at a convenient time. Um… you’re not an alien, are you? Does everybody in the future have eyes like yours?”

“Oh no, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one,” he replied. “I probably should explain to everyone a little later, once we’re all safely aboard.” She was relieved he wasn’t offended, and pleased to finally address the elephant in the room.

“Do you know how much longer we have to be out here?” she asked.

“It’s not too much farther now,” he replied. “No more than—”

Abruptly the two remaining rovers began beeping and swirling around his head and shoulders, projecting holographic data.

Multiple contacts

Presumed hostile

1500 meters and closing

Merlin stopped in his tracks.

“Show me.” The drones dropped down to eye level and jointly projected a viewscreen. It showed the company of Roundhead horsemen, and the face of their leader was all-too-clearly visible.

“Stearne,” Amber breathed.

“What’s going on?” Blake caught up to them, his expression tight with concern. Amber pointed at the viewscreen. He nodded grimly and turned to the others.

“We have company, and we’ve been spotted!” Blake shouted. “Run!”

They broke into a sprint across the open country, Cam falling into step beside Amber and Nellie. He soon fell back next to Harcourt as the man was outpaced by the rest of the group. He slung an arm around the Victorian to make him move faster.

“Make for that rise ahead,” Merlin called out. “My ship is just beyond it.”

“You heard the man,” Blake hollered. “Move it!”

The sound of hooves became audible from behind. Amber risked a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the horsemen thundering toward them. The sight spurred her on, despite a growing stitch in her side.

The ragtag group crested the low rise without daring to stop, but just as suddenly found they no longer had any choice in the matter.

No more than a dozen yards away, a new shard spread out before them. Judging by the scent of saltwater, this one contained nothing but a chunk of ocean, but if so, it was now a stranded inland sea. It stretched for miles.

There was no sign of a ship anywhere.

Amber’s heart sank. Now what?

Blake stared for a moment, then turned on Merlin. He grasped the man by his shoulders, nearly lifting him off his feet.

“Where the hell is the ship you promised, you bloody bastard!” he roared in Merlin’s face. “You dragged us all this way to an oversized lagoon for nothing? You’re a madman.” He turned to the others. “We’ve been following a madman!”

“Wait! You don’t understand—” Merlin began.

Whipping back around, Blake seized him around the throat with white-knuckled hands and squeezed.

“Stop it, Blake!” Amber cried. “You’re going to get us all killed!” She threw herself between the two men, pulling at Blake’s arms until he let go of Merlin’s throat. She could see the effort it took for him to choke down his rage as he fought to control himself

“We’ve got to get out of here, now, or we’re all dead,” he said through gritted teeth.

Coughing, Merlin rubbed his throat and held up a hand.

“Listen—the ship is here,” he said, his voice a hoarse croak. “I don’t understand the delay, but I promise, it’s here.”

Harcourt burst in, his voice laced with panic. “Good god, man, there’s no time! Have your flying spheres create something for us to hide behind. They’re nearly upon us!”

But it was too late.

The Roundheads were already there.